Newbie with freshly planted Glosso

[Skunk]

Hi there

I've got an Aqua 40, which is 25L with the inbuilt light. It matured with the filter for around 4 weeks before plants, and another week before fish (guppies, 3 females and 5 fry!). It's now probably 7-8 weeks of it being set up from start to finish.

It has TetraPlant Complete Substrate, capped with sand. I have Cyperus Helferi as my background plant, and Glossostigma Elatinoides as my carpeting plant. I dose with 0.5ml of easy carbo per day (recommended 1ml per 50L a day) and I use a plant fertiliser every few weeks (Tetra also I think)

I separated the glosso into its plantlets and then put them in by hand, hours! Main problem is going to be the original lighting not being enough? Causing the glosso to grow upwards rather than across?

The light is apparently an 11w PL2 lighting system, with a white and a blue tube.

Main question is how I encourage the glosso to grow across and how I go about trimming it? Do I cut it down short to about 2cm to encourage new growth?

Thanks in advance! And any other advice would be great

 

[George Farmer]

You may have trouble growing glosso and even cyperus with your given lighting, especially with no CO2 injection and liquid ferts 'every few weeks'.

11w over 25 litres is quite low lighting for these plants, and for them to stand a chance you need really good carbon enrichment, other nutrient dosing and circulation.

I'd also consdier swapping the blue/white tube for a daylight lamp. The blue does little for plant growth and looks ugly IMO.

If you're not willing to invest in a CO2 set up or increase lighting then I'd recommend sticking to lower light tolerant plants i.e. moss, anubias, crypts, ferns etc.

Give the glosso etc. a try and see how you go. If you run into trouble then let us know and we may be able to advise accordingly. I've grown glosso with 18w over 25 litres, but I dosed 1ml TPN+ and 1ml Easycarbo daily.

 

[Skunk]

Ah ok Thanks for the advice, will up the dosage and have a look for TPN Have seen the small CO2 set ups, but they get used up quite quickly don't they?

Can easily change the tube, so will look into that, and there is pretty good flow in the tank, even on min the filter kicks out the water with a good bit of power. Trying to think of a way of adding extra lighting with the kind of hood this tank has, no way of clipping one onto the side.

Thanks again

 

[Simon D]

Ah ok Thanks for the advice, will up the dosage and have a look for TPN

As George says TPN+ is what you want not TPN(no +!!!)

 

[Themuleous]

Ah ok Thanks for the advice, will up the dosage and have a look for TPN Have seen the small CO2 set ups, but they get used up quite quickly don't they?

IMO yes, any co2 system that's based on a 96g or smaller cylinder is only really going to be effective on the smallest of nanos. This would be a better bet. Cylinder should last 6-8 weeks on a 25lt tank.

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Sam